UK Art Exhibit Shows Depiction of Jews Eating Babies; Artist Denies Antisemitism

Artist Matthew Collings denied the accusations, saying his work is intended as criticism of Zionism.

By Shula Rosen

A local council in England removed its promotion of an art exhibition in Margate and issued an apology after complaints that the display featured antisemitic imagery, after a visitor said she was confronted and forced to leave during an incident at the gallery, Ynet reported.

Thanet District Council in Kent said it took down references to the exhibition from its tourism website following backlash, stating it “sincerely apologizes for any offense caused” and that the event should not have been promoted.

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In Margate. My cheeks are red. I am shaking. I popped into an exhibition that turned out to be the insane fever dream of an artist called Matthew Collins: ‘Drawings Against Genocide.’ The exhibition is described as ‘drawings… raising consciousness about hell…. Israel is the… pic.twitter.com/CO8Ee8eYLG

— Zoe Strimpel (@realzoestrimpel) March 21, 2026

The exhibition, titled “Drawings Against Genocide,” focused on the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and included works that critics said depicted figures marked with Stars of David alongside scenes described as evoking Nazi-era imagery.

Some critics said the drawings portrayed Jews in ways resembling longstanding antisemitic stereotypes, including imagery described as “blood-soaked, baby-eating demons.”

Artist Matthew Collings denied the accusations, saying his work is intended as criticism of Zionism.

Zoe Strimpel, a writer who attended the exhibition, said she felt threatened after raising concerns about the artwork.

She said the artist reacted angrily when challenged. “He was instantly aggressive,” she wrote. “The artist started yelling at me that I didn’t mean anything I was saying.”

According to Strimpel, others in the gallery joined in as “the crowd began booing and closing in around me,” and she was forced to leave.

Some attendees were seen wearing shirts reading “Globalize the intifada,” a slogan often interpreted as a call for violence against Jews.

Alex Hearn of Labour Against Antisemitism said the exhibition “revels in being racist,” adding that it portrayed “Jews as blood-soaked, baby-eating demons.”

Additional criticism circulated online, including claims that slogans such as “Globalize the intifada” and “From the river to the sea” were expressed at or near the exhibition, though those reports could not be independently verified.

Artist Matthew Collings denied the accusations, saying his work is intended as criticism of Zionism.

Kent Police said officers received a report on March 21 regarding allegedly offensive artwork, but determined no criminal offenses had been committed after reviewing the case.